A white princess dress, a gorgeous hairdo, and a man in his best polish gazing lovingly at the girl next to him?
With a ring in his hand that he delicately slips on her finger? And once the two say their vows, do they hit the dance floor?
Isn’t marriage the first word that comes to everyone’s mind? But it’s not always the case.
Not when the girl in the white dress with her hair up is between 4 and 13 years old and the man with the ring is her father.
What we are talking about here are the so-called Purity Balls, which is a mistranslated term. Dance of chastity?
These are the events, big holidays, that are most popular in the so-called “Bible Belt” of the United States, states where the conservative evangelical church has the greatest influence on people’s opinions and lifestyles. .
A society steeped in debauchery
The dances were first founded in 1998 by an evangelical pastor and his wife, Randi and Lisa Wilson, who had five daughters whom they wanted to ensure would all stay on the narrow path of virtue until marriage. .
According to the priest, society is steeped in promiscuity and adultery.
Television, movies and music do little more than encourage young girls to dress and behave immorally, fuel male lust and, heaven forbid, have sex before marriage. .
And to prevent such an uncreated thing, the purity balls started.
The average age of the girls is around 12, but there have been rallies where the girls were as young as 4.
Preparations, such as weddings, can last for months and the dances usually take place in large halls decorated with flowers with a three-course banquet and an orchestra.
Reading material
The girls must finish reading the teaching material before the ceremony, which goes over what can and cannot be done, and what to do, for example, if the desire to sin is suppressed.
For example, in many manuals of this type it is recommended to bake a cake or sew, if sex comes to mind for a girl.
Gatherings are in mostly fairly similar locations across the United States.
Upon arriving at the ball, the girl receives a white rose which she places next to a large cross in the hall.
Often the ceremony begins with the girls carrying the cross inside. The rose represents their purity, faith in God, and sense of morality, as well as a promise not to deviate from the path of virtue.
One by one, father and son come forward and say their vows.
The girl swears to keep her virginity, to have no physical relationship with boys, not to deviate from the path of virtue and the Lord, to respect and obey her father.
Additionally, she promises to refrain from other sinful actions, such as tasting alcohol or watching television programs or listening to music that goes against the direction of the evangelical church.
In return, the father promises to protect his daughter from all evil influences, to give her the best advice available in life with the help of God’s book, and to accept only worthy human material from his daughter.
He must prove the purity of his life, his faith in God and his ability to take care of the girl.
If the boy fulfills the conditions of the father, the “ownership” of the girl is transferred from the father to the husband, and the father’s ring is replaced by the husband’s ring upon marriage.
After the vows, father and daughter usually exchange jewelry, usually rings or necklaces.
Extremely controversial
We understand that hygiene rituals are extremely controversial and it is often pointed out that there is nothing comparable for boys.
Critics say girls are seen as little more than property, like livestock, and these acts have set back the fight for women’s rights by decades.
Adherents vehemently protest this, saying that it is only love and the desire to protect daughters that calls fathers to participate in these activities.
Society is completely corrupt, full of pornography and fatherless children, engineered in lust where girls have not been given the guidance that life demands.
Most followers of the ceremony do not hide their opinion that the man should be the strong and dominant party in a relationship, whether it is a relationship between father and daughter or husband and wife, and that he is his duty to protect. guide and provide for the needs of the girl/woman.
And now, judge each one.
